Registrations for FireX 2022 open

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After a near-three-year hiatus FireX will to return to Britain’s capital in May 2022. Set to be hosted at London’s Excel the three day event will commence from May 17 in the heart of the city.

Registrations for the event have officially opened, with the ‘free to attend’ event offering buyer and sellers several opportunities to interact and make key decisions.

Key industry associations are set to attend the event which include the Fire Industry Association (FIA), Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), Fire Protection Association (FPA), among many more. FireX will offer networking opportunities to reconnect with the industry, ranging from breakfasts and drink receptions to closed-door roundtable discussions.

Meanwhile, the Expertise and Guidance Theatre and the FPA’s InfoZone seminars will offer several avenues for learning and discussions around latest government legislation, industry standards and best practice guidance.

For 2022, FireX has taken the decision to fully commit to supporting and promoting third-party approvals, independent accreditation and competency for construction products and services. This will mean all exhibiting companies with relevant fire protection or prevention systems and materials will need to hold – or be in the process of acquiring – recognised third-party approval on their products.

MoviTHERM’s IoT tech enables early fire detection applications

by Building ManagementFeatured NewsFire DetectionIndustry SectorsProductsThermal ImagingUtilitiesWarehouse

MoviTHERM has launched iEFD Cloud – a secure cloud-based software application to support its iEFD Early Fire Detection series of solutions. The iEFD solution leverages the industrial internet of things (IIoT) to connect thermal imaging cameras, heat and smoke sensors to detect early fire formation at various stages and conditions.

The new cloud application provides real-time situational awareness to facility operators, employees, and first responders. The IoT solution alerts users of potential fire formation, helping prevent disasters.

The iEFD Cloud software has many built-in features that provide situational awareness to anyone who works in a high fire risk environment.

Markus Tarin, President and CEO, MoviTHERM said: “The days of expensive and overly complicated fire detection systems are over. Our iEFD solution provides optimal situational awareness that benefits both operators and first responders.”

Global fire extinguishers market to reach $7.1bn by 2026

by Americas - Featured NewsAmericas - ProductsAviationBreaking NewsBuilding ManagementConstructionFire SuppressionFirefighting EquipmentIndustry SectorsProductsUtilities

The fire extinguisher market is set to reach US$7.1bn by 2026, according to a new study published by Global Industry Analysts Inc., (GIA). The report, titled “Fire Extinguishers – Global Market Trajectory & Analytics, presents fresh perspectives on opportunities and challenges in a significantly transformed post Covid-19 marketplace.

Improving global GDP, resurgence in remodeling and renovation activity in developed economies, steady rise in new constructions in emerging markets, and stricter law enforcements are driving growth in the market.

Along with their expiration date, the existence of international, national, or local building regulations, laws, and codes implies that some of the fire extinguishers must be replaced annually, which generates enough demand to ensure the industry’s stability.

Additional opportunities generated by the demand for fire suppression technologies and other proactive fire management systems, hold potential for the industry’s growth. Although the construction industry remains the primary end-use sector for fire extinguishers, growth is forecast to improve from expanding applications in automobiles, military vehicles, and aircrafts. Growing emphasis on safety is fueling demand for automotive fire extinguishers and poised to benefit against this backdrop are small, portable and lightweight fire protection systems. The growing base of military vehicles, especially army ground combat vehicles, is forecast to benefit demand for fast-opening hand-held fire extinguishers (HFE) to safeguard against combat-induced fires.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the global market for Fire Extinguishers is estimated at $5.2bn in 2022, is projected to reach a revised size of $7.1bn by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 7.5% over the analysis period.

Dry Chemical & Dry Powder, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to grow at a 7.4% CAGR to reach $5.1bn by the end of the analysis period. After a thorough analysis of the business implications of the pandemic and its induced economic crisis, growth in the Carbon Dioxide segment is readjusted to a revised 9% CAGR for the next seven-year period. This segment currently accounts for a 14% share of the global Fire Extinguishers market.

Currently, the extensively used fire extinguisher type is the multiple use dry chemical, which is most efficient on class A, class B and class C fires. CO2 fire extinguishers, which can be deployed on Class A fires, put out fire by removing oxygen component from the fire triangle as well as eliminating the heat through an extremely cold release. These black colored fire extinguishers are ideal for electrical fires

The U.S. Market is Estimated at $1.4bn in 2022, While China is Forecast to Reach $1.2bn by 2026
The Fire Extinguishers market in the U.S. is estimated at $1.4bn in the year 2022. The country currently accounts for a 27.9% share in the global market. China, the world’s second largest economy, is forecast to reach an estimated market size of $1.2bn in the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 9.2% through the analysis period. Among the other noteworthy geographic markets are Japan and Canada, each forecast to grow at 5.3% and 7.5% respectively over the analysis period.

Within Europe, Germany is forecast to grow at approximately 5.5% CAGR while Rest of European market (as defined in the study) will reach $422m by the end of the analysis period. Market growth is primarily led by change in standard building codes and mandating necessary deployment of fire extinguishers coupled with strong construction sector in developing markets such as Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Eastern European markets. Both China and India have been investing significantly in expanding their infrastructure in order to gain competitive advantage and support burgeoning economy and population. The recovery in the construction industry in the US, coupled with steady gains in construction spending in developing countries including BRICs and CIVETs, is expected to drive the demand for fire extinguishers in the next few years.

Meanwhile, the foam-based segment is set to Reach $658.5m by 2026. Foam-Based and Water-Based Extinguishers put out fire by eliminating the heat component from the fire triangle, while foam agents remove oxygen component from additional components.

Foam extinguishers are expensive, and suitable for diverse use except for Class C fires due to shock risk. There are Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) based and Alcohol Resistant Aqueous Film Forming Foam (ARAFFF) based extinguishers, known as Class A and B fire extinguishers for fighting chemical fires, which involve alcohol. In the global Foam-based segment, USA, Canada, Japan, China and Europe will drive the 6.8% CAGR estimated for this segment.

These regional markets accounting for a combined market size of $355m will reach a projected size of $559.3m by the close of the analysis period. China will remain among the fastest growing in this cluster of regional markets. Led by countries such as Australia, India, and South Korea, the market in Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach $94.6m by the year 2026, while Latin America will expand at a 7.9% CAGR through the analysis period.

UK hospital deploys Titan Lite fire barriers

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A Plymouth-based hospital in the UK has deployed Titan Lite fire barriers in its facility. The 18-month contract being carried out by a leading UK fire contractor involved installing large quantities of the Titan Lite 120:60, manufactured by TBA Firefly, to create fire barriers above ceiling voids throughout many parts of the hospital.

The hospital has 660 beds and provides medical and surgical care to a third of a million people with the building dating back to before the beginning of the Second World War.   

The refurbishment work, concluded at the end of November 2021, was being carried out by Plymouth based Ventro Ltd. whose operatives have had to work in many areas during the evenings and weekends to avoid disruption to the hospital’s everyday activities, including the treatment of patients.

Following early appraisals of the fire protection requirements within the ageing property and considering the large quantities of different mechanical services to be accommodated into the upgrades, the hospital’s estates department decided to raise the specification for the work from 30 minutes integrity rating to a full two hours.  

The Site Agent for Ventro, John Roberts, commented: “As a specialist fire contractor working across the whole of the UK and beyond, we have employed Firefly products on many projects over the years and expect to continue doing so.  In the early stages of this contract, which began on site in May 2020, it was thought Apollo 30 minutes would be appropriate, but the hospital then switched this to Tian Lite 120:60.  We have been installing the Titan Lite in many parts of the hospital, including most recently in the ceiling voids over the kitchens. This has been done by fixing metal angles across the soffits and then using the special tape and staples to secure the fabric to it. Despite the large number of services making the number of penetrations to be deal with quite challenging, our teams find the Firefly relatively easy to install.”

Fire breaks out at Ukrainian nuclear power plant

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A fire broke out at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant; Europe’s largest, Ukrainian authorities have reported. The fire broke out after a period of shelling that took place throughout Thursday night.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no change in radiation levels, the situation is being closely monitored. IAEA, however, did put the Incident and Emergency Centre in full 24/7 response mode.

IAEA also announced that the fire at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant had not affected “essential” equipment, as plant personnel took mitigatory actions.

Meanwhile a regional authority said on social media: “Operational personnel are monitoring the condition of power units.”

Fire brigades were allowed to enter the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.

Ukraine has been under attack from Russian armed forces for little more than a week. Several key infrastructure and civilian facilities have been destroyed. The fighting has also left several parts of Ukraine under fire which the authorities have tried to get under control.

Pegasus Aviación taps up LiveU to improve airborne firefighting services

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Spanish firm Pegasus Aviación has tied up LiveU to help its firefighting services, using the company’s mission-critical IP bonding solutions to provide live streamed images and internet sourcing coverage from difficult environments where connectivity is scarce.

Pegasus Aviación, also operates in Portugal, Italy, Chile and Uruguay, is the parent company of Pegasus Aero Group, a 100% Spanish-owned aeronautical group with over 50 years of experience in the aeronautical field, providing a wide range of services to public and private clients.

Currently, a key objective within the company’s strategic plan is the technological modernisation of the fleet. José Antonio Rodríguez, head of projects, planning and support at Pegasus said: “Our expertise is founded on the provision of training, maintenance and operation of aircraft in emergency environments – mainly forest fires – and the rescue of people on land and at sea. Today, we face the challenge of optimising these operations using on-board technology, for which we were looking for options that could provide us with greater connectivity in environments with poor coverage. That’s where our journey with LiveU began.”

LiveU’s technology, widely used in the broadcast and video streaming sector for all types of live image capture and transmission, is based on IP bonding, a technology that LiveU pioneered and is a market leader in the industry.

This underlying technology facilitates the bonding of bandwidth from multiple cellular networks, the main examples being mobile and WiFi, to create real-time broadband connectivity. This means that connectivity can be achieved in remote locations, and on the move, where other technologies would normally fail, enabling not only high-quality live video streaming but also internet connectivity for other data services. Individual field units, containing the multiple modems required, can be carried in a backpack, or installed in an aircraft, subject to the approved specifications of the relevant aeronautical authorities.

Pegasus Aviation is currently using many LiveU’s LU300 compact field units in its helicopters to enhance its imaging services in Chile and Spain. These can be controlled by Pegasus Aviación through LiveU’s cloud-based management system, LiveU Central. It also uses LiveU’s DataBridge technology to access high-speed internet while the aircraft are in flight.

Rodríguez added: “This technology greatly enhances the information we can obtain from our operations, allowing us to capture live video images from places where it was previously unfeasible. These real-time images play an important role for our customers, allowing emergency managers to make decisions with fresh information from the field. LiveU is an important technological step forward for us and we are looking to expand its use in the other countries we serve through our fleet of over 130 aircraft.”

Jean-Christophe Albou, Sales Director, France and Southern Europe, LiveU, said: “We have always known that our technology has great potential beyond its use in broadcast and streaming verticals and we’re now seeing its use grow in emergency services and first responder sectors. This is a prime example and we’re very proud to see it helping in such a vital industry.”

UK fire, construction, and energy consultancies to be brought under one roof

by Breaking NewsConstructionIndustry SectorsProductsUtilities

Housing construction, fire safety and energy efficiency consultancies are encouraged to register interest for a new consultancy framework launching this summer.

Consultancy Services (CS1) from LHC offers public sector organisations a wider range of services across all stages of the design, construction and refurbishment process, all in one framework.

The framework will cover all five LHC Group regions including Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA), Welsh Procurement Alliance (WPA) and South West Procurement Alliance (SWPA), Consortium Procurement Construction (CPC) and London and South East (LSE). However, housing consultancy services will be only for SPA, WPA and SWPA, owing to pre-existing frameworks already available for CPC and LSE areas.

CS1 brings together LHC’s existing Housing Construction Consultancy (H1 WS1), Energy Efficiency (N8C) and Fire Safety (FS1-C) frameworks under one umbrella to make it easier for contracting authorities to procure specialist consultants.

Dean Fazackerley, head of technical procurement at LHC said: “We recognise the importance of making frameworks more accessible to regional suppliers and SMEs to give them more opportunity to work with public sector organisations – CS1 looks to achieve that.

“Bringing housing construction consultancy, fire safety and energy efficiency under one roof allows us to meet client needs for projects of all sizes, reflecting the current market. It also means we can streamline the procurement process while offering a wider variety of high-quality, pre-approved expertise across a wide range of public sector buildings”

Consultancies are encouraged to register interest for the framework, which will be opening for applications in early summer 2022.

LHC intends to hold further engagement webinars with interested parties in due course to discuss initial proposals and gain feedback, before finalising the framework and issuing the tender.

Climate change to impact extreme wildfires by up to 50%

by Featured NewsFire DetectionIndustry SectorsPeopleProductsSafetyUncategorized

The UN has warned that forest wildfires can increase by almost double by 2100 due to global warming and impacts of climate change.

A report by the UN pointed out that regions that were previously not affected by fires, such as the Artic, are at an elevated risk due to climate change.

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) scientists have evidence that certain fires that burn for weeks are already becoming hotter and burning longer where wildfires are a regular occurrence. However, they are now beginning to flare up in remote northern areas, in drying peatlands and on thawing permafrost.

This study has also revealed that extreme fires could jump up to 14% by 2030, compared to the number recorded in 2010-2020. The increase could reach 30% by 2050 and 50% by the end of the century.

Dr Andrew Sullivan from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Canberra, Australia said: “The analysis was based on the definition of a catastrophic fire being one that would occur once every 100 years, so it’s a very low frequency fire event. The result was that the potential for that sort of fire would increase by a factor of 1.3 to 1.5 times, based on global analysis of fire frequency.”

The study calls for a radical reallocation of financial resources from fighting fires to prevention.

Even though these figures are projections on extreme events, scientists believe that lesser incidents of wildfire will increase as land use changes and populations increases across the world. This could have significant implications for climate change as the extra burning will increase the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere.

The authors are calling on governments to change their model of spending on large fires. It is estimated that planning and prevention receives less than 1% of funding while firefighting takes over half of the available budget.

Euralarm releases guidance on integrated fire protection for batteries

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The Extinguishing Section of Euralarm has published a guidance document on integrated fire protection solutions for lithium-ion batteries. This new guideline provides information on the issues related to the use of lithium-ion batteries, how fires start in batteries and on how they may be detected, controlled, suppressed, and extinguished. It also provides guidance on post fire management. Excluded from the scope are explosion and ventilation issues.

Lithium-Ion batteries have become the battery technology of choice in a variety of areas, including amongst others, power generation, communications, industrial, vehicles and many other applications. Active control of the energy being stored and extracted from lithium-ion batteries has been the foundation of their increasing popularity. The relatively low frequency of major incidents is testament to the effort and successful design applied to the critical aspect of using such high-density energy products. However, active control of the battery energy is not sufficient to prevent safety-critical situations and multiple levels of defence are needed to minimize the serious consequences of a failure in a lithium-ion battery.

The increasing number of lithium-ion batteries and an increasing amount of stored energy in different energy storage applications present a new type of fire hazard where fire protection is challenging. Key issues in any fire protection system are the selection of the most appropriate agent for the specific hazard, system layout, the correct discharge of the extinguishing agent, as well as correct installation, the use of approved systems and constant maintenance by appropriately trained staff.

The guidance document ‘Integrated fire protection solutions for lithium-ion batteries’ is intended as guidance for all professionals dealing with fire safety, fire protection, extinguishing and fire suppression in connection with the use, storage or transport of lithium-ion batteries and their fire risks. Aspects of consumers products are not covered in this guidance.

The document is intended as general guidance and is not a substitute for detailed advice in specific circumstances. It represents the current understanding of the industry and will be updated as more information becomes available.